Sam in the Spotlight (18 page)

“We don't really talk about it any more, Sam. It's ancient history. You know, it's almost as if the band and everything happened to someone else.”

“But it's not too late is it?” I went over to him and wrapped my arms round his middle. “You could still play now, couldn't you?”

Dad smiled. “What, at my age?”

“I don't mean in a band or anything, but you could still play. You
should
play, whatever Mum thinks.”

Dad gave me the tightest hug. “You hang on to your dreams, Sam,” he said. “Hang on to your dreams, no matter what.”

“I'm trying,” I said, hugging him back. “But will you please talk to Mum about Mrs. Raja? Just explain to her that I have to stay at Star Makers. There must be other tutors I could go to, after school or on Sundays.”

Dad unwrapped my arms and backed out of the door. “I'll do my best, sweetheart,” he said. “Promise.”

I stayed in my room for the rest of the evening, trying to work out what I was going to do. It felt like there was so much stuff going on in the family – stuff that had started before Crystal was even born. Dad feeling bad because Mum had given up her place at university and Mum feeling guilty because Dad had left the band. Our history teacher at school is always saying
You can't go back and change the past, you can only learn lessons from it –
if only I could get Mum and Dad to realize that before Mum came face-to-face with Crystal at Sophia Malone's wedding.

I was still lying there, stewing over the whole sorry mess, when Ellie called.

“You'll never guess what,” she said. “I've just found Eddie's sweatshirt. It was only
in the freezer!
”

I shook my head, smiling. “Ellie, I'm not even going to ask you why…”

“No, seriously, I know it sounds completely mad but it was weeks and weeks ago and I was practising one of the dances from the show and I remember I was so hot I thought I was going to die and—”

“Don't tell me…you froze Eddie's sweatshirt to help you cool down.”

“Well, I was only going to pop it in there for five minutes but I must've forgotten and then Mum found it today when she took out some pork chops for supper.”

“At least you didn't put it in the oven,” I said, giggling. “Is it ruined?”

“No it's fine, actually. I've defrosted it and it's just a bit damp and smelly. Anyway, how did your mum's meeting with Mr. Bayliss go?”

“Erm…he thinks I'm a genius so Mum says I've got to have this tutor so I can go to some posh university and the only time the tutor can see me is on Saturday mornings.”

“But that's just crazy!” Ellie wailed down the phone. “What are you going to do?”

“I don't know. All I keep thinking is that everything would be okay if I could just get my mum and Crystal to sort things out at the wedding.”

“Yes, but
how
exactly?”

“I don't know that either,” I admitted, “but I've basically got a week to come up with a totally foolproof plan.”

“I'll think as well,” said Ellie, “and we'll talk tomorrow.”

We didn't get much chance to talk the next day. It was the last rehearsal before the dress rehearsal and Mandy was in Serious Mode. We sang through all the songs and then spent ages working out the finale and bows. I had to run on right at the end and take my bow with Adam, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. That's one of the things I love most about acting – the second I get onstage I kind of forget about everything else, including the fact that I'm standing there holding hands with Adam Dale!

The next week crawled by. I didn't speak to Crystal – and Mum was at work 24/7, sorting out the flowers for Saturday. Sophia Malone had finally decided on a “theme” and Mum had been working flat out to get everything ready in time. I spent loads of time with Dad, but he didn't mention his guitar or the band and I didn't really feel like bringing it up again.

I practised my lines for the show every day after school and lay in bed every night working on my plan for the wedding. I desperately needed Mum and Crystal to make up and not just so I could stay at Star Makers. What I wanted most of all was for Crystal to come home. But what if she refused to talk to Mum at the wedding? What if she told Mum to get lost and walked out all over again?

I woke up on Saturday the 28th of November with about a million butterflies flapping about inside my stomach. It was the dress rehearsal
and
the wedding and it felt as if my whole future was at stake. I'd told Mum there was no way I could miss drama on such an important day, so she'd arranged for Aunty Mags to pick me up at one o'clock and drive me straight over to the reception hall.

Ellie came over after breakfast and we got the bus up to drama. I felt a bit sick about the dress rehearsal. It's usually so exciting to see our costumes for the first time and do a proper run-through without stopping – but I was just so worried about everything else that was going on. I'd tried talking to Mum about how much I wanted to stay at Star Makers, but she just said, “I should've realized all along that Crystal was the creative one and you were the one with all the brains!”

I could've pointed out that Crystal had to be pretty clever to be running her own business at eighteen years old – and that acting was just as creative as making jewellery – but somewhere along the line she had decided that The Great Mrs. Raja was the answer to all her problems and nothing I said was going to make the slightest difference.

“Has your mum mentioned that tutor again?” said Ellie. I was testing her on her lines while we waited for the bus.

I shook my head. “She hasn't exactly mentioned her – but then we're not really talking.”

“But how are you going to help her at the wedding if you're ignoring each other?”

“We
are
talking when we need to, but things are pretty frosty between us.”

“Like Eddie's sweatshirt, you mean?” said Ellie.

I smiled. “Erm…kind of. Anyway I've been working on this plan all week, you know, for getting Mum and Crystal together at the wedding. I'm pretty certain that if they make up, Mum won't be so bothered about getting me a tutor. She's only got herself in a state about my education because Crystal turned down her place at uni.”

Ellie leaned towards me. “So what are you going to do then? Lock them in a room together?”

I stared at her.

Ellie's mouth dropped open. “You're not serious.”

“I am. Deadly.”

“But
Sam!
What if it doesn't work? What if there are no locks on the doors or they're never in the same room at the same time? Or Crystal storms out? Or—”

“Okay, I get the picture! Look, I don't know what I'll do if it doesn't work. It's
got
to work because if it doesn't my mum will force me to leave Star Makers and I'll never, ever forgive her.”

“Neither will I,” said Ellie.

The bus took ages and by the time we arrived everyone was already there, crowded around Sandeep.

“Look, you two!” he shouted, holding up his leg. “No cast!”

“That's brilliant!” cried Ellie. “And your leg looks exactly the same as it did before!”

“What do you mean? What did you think it was going to look like?”

“Oh, it's just that I had this dream the other night that when you had your cast taken off your leg had mutated into two legs, so altogether you had three.”

“Is she okay?” said Sandeep to me, but just then Julian called him over to sort out the sound. Julian couldn't come to the actual show because he was working somewhere else that night, so this was his last chance to make sure Sandeep knew what he was doing.

“Come on, girls,” said Mandy, handing us a pile of clothes. “Costumes on.”

My costume was pretty ordinary – just a plain skirt and shirt – but some of the others were amazing. Monty B was wearing this old-fashioned detective's outfit – sort of like Sherlock Holmes. He came rushing back from the toilets and then stood in the middle of the hall for ages, trying to look at himself in his huge magnifying glass.

“For goodness' sake, Digestive Biscuit! Stop admiring yourself,” said Phoebe.

“I can't help it,” said Monty B. “I just look so…so…I can't think of the word…”

“Neither can I,” said Adam. “Oh yes I can – it's ‘stupid'.”

Everyone burst out laughing, but I didn't really feel like joining in. I was too worried about the wedding and my plan and how
The Phantom Face
might be my last ever show at Star Makers. It was the same when we started the rehearsal. Mandy kept asking me to put more effort into my performance and even Sara started moaning about it – as if she was the assistant director or something.

“It's not because you've got a crush on someone, is it?” she said, staring right at Adam in the most obvious way imaginable.

“I'm afraid it is,” said Monty B before I could say anything or push her off the stage. “She can't help it, Sara. It's just the effect I have on women.”

“In your dreams,” said Adam.

“I actually had this dream,” said Ellie, “and—”

“Not now!” cried Mandy. “It's the dress rehearsal. Come on, Sam. I can see you know all your lines and all your cues, but could you please just put a bit more spark into it?”

It was so frustrating, because I desperately wanted to show Mandy how good I was, but I seemed to be getting worse by the minute. How was I supposed to prove to Mum how serious I was about acting if she came to see me in the show and I was rubbish? And if she hadn't made up with Crystal by then, would it make any difference anyway?

We started again from the beginning but we didn't get very far because the eerie music kept playing out at the wrong time. “Don't worry, Mandy,” said Sandeep. “I'm just getting used to the equipment. It'll be fine by next week.”

Mandy sighed. “I really hope you're right, because I'm beginning to get that feeling of doom I always get just before a show. You know, that everything's going to go wrong.”

Right that second, as if on cue, Arthur came in.

“Oh hello, Mandy. I can see you're busy, my dear, but we never did have that little chat in the end, did we?”

“No, we didn't,” said Mandy, firmly. “But I'm sure there'll be plenty of time
after
the show.”

“It honestly won't take a moment,” said Arthur. “It's just about your…ahem…lovely long hair…” He paused for a minute and Mandy jumped up.

“I'm sorry, Arthur, but this really isn't the time or the place,” she said, and she ushered him out of the hall as quickly as she could, shutting the door firmly behind him.

“What's he going on about her hair for?” I said to Ellie.

She shrugged, giggling. “Beats me. Maybe he wants Mrs. Beagle to get hair extensions or something?”

After a lot of stopping and starting we finally managed to run right through the show –
with
the sound effects and projected images – and it actually went pretty well.

“That was great!” cried Mandy as we finished the finale. “I take it all back, guys. This is easily going to be the best show ever!”

“You always say that,” said Monty B. “But they can't
all
be the best, can they? You know, technically speaking…”

“Haven't you got a crime to solve or something?” said Neesha. “You know,
technically speaking.
”

We all spilled out of the hall, laughing. Aunty Mags was waiting for me downstairs with Riley. He bounded straight over to Adam as if he actually remembered him, and Adam seemed just as happy to see Riley.

“How's he getting on?” he said, heaving Riley up into his arms.

Aunty Mags rolled her eyes. “Well, if I said he's the naughtiest dog I've ever had in my life I wouldn't be exaggerating!” she laughed. “He's starting his obedience lessons on Monday and he's going to be in for a big shock.”

I went over to say bye to the others while Adam and Aunty Mags were chatting.

“Don't forget to text us,” said Ellie, giving me a hug. “We're all going back to mine and we'll be desperate for news.”

I've been to a few weddings before but I've never been to
anything
like Sophia Malone's wedding. When we arrived at the hall – which was actually one of those very posh houses that you could easily spend the whole day looking round – the grounds were filled with sleek, black limousines and about a hundred guys with cameras. The second we stopped the car they began to shout out to us, as if we were the celebrities and they wanted to snap
our
picture.

“Wow! Hasn't your mum done well for herself, landing a job like this?” said Aunty Mags.
And Crystal,
I thought, but I didn't say anything.